The A Team Week 7: Panic

Week 7 was a bit of a rude awakening with the realization that we need to find a way to pay for Avery's daycare and the additional insurance costs he brings, along with the fact that I will be going back to work soon (and am really hoping that we can still afford for me to take one day off a week).  I tried to push these thoughts out of my head, but that was easier said than done and a few panic attacks ensued.  Despite these worries that I am working on placing in God's hands, we had a pretty good week.  For the majority of it, there wasn't anything extraordinary that we did.  We simply enjoyed each other's company and that of some of our friends.  Before I continue though, a brief update on the boys:

Avery is continuing to get bigger and more interactive by the day.  He is a very happy and content little guy as long as he is kept full and gas-free.  He loves to just sit back and observe what is going on around him, and enjoys watching his big brother and big (furry) sister play nearby.  He is getting very good at holding up his head and can put his weight on his legs and "stand" now, although his balance is obviously still quite terrible.  He smiles all the time and especially likes when we kiss him or whistle.

Asher continues to get more of a personality and makes us laugh frequently with the silly things he says.  Lately I have been dehydrating pineapple as a treat for us to eat and Asher loves it.  This week, they had a sale on pre-cored pineapple at Pick-n-Save, so I bought some and made more.  Since they were already cored, all I had to do was slice them and place them in the food dehydrator, meaning that I could put in full 360-degree slices (normally I just end up with random pieces since I don't have a pineapple corer).  Therefore, when the process was all finished, I had mostly full slices of dried pineapple and a few smaller random pieces.  One morning, Asher asked for a piece of pineapple before he went to daycare.  I told him that he could have "one piece".  He paused, looking at me, and thought about this for a second.  Then he excitedly ran over to the counter where the pineapple was located, looked at me and said, "Big One!"  I couldn't help but laugh, as he deduced that if he could only have one piece he wanted the biggest one I could find!  ...that's one smart cookie! ;)

Asher finally getting his much-needed haircut.  He was such a big boy and sat in the chair all by himself!

Video: Smiley Guy!

Avery napping at the Laillet house.

Asher in his buddy Theo's tent.

Asher & Theo hiding out.

Silly Boys.

Buddies watching a movie (or about 5 minutes of) together.

My handsome guy!

About half way through the week, Avery started to get more congested than normal (he has been stuffed up since he was born).  He officially had his first cold and was struggling to breathe at night, coughing and choking.  By Thursday night, he was a snotty mess and I did something I didn't think I would ever do...I broke out the BabyComfyNose Nasal Aspirator (aka Snot Sucker...yes it is as disgusting as it sounds!).  When Eric and I were expecting Asher, I bought one of these, because I had read reviews about it in a magazine and had been told by a few people that it works much better than anything else.  However, I was not sure if I would ever be able to get myself to use it.  With Asher, we were very fortunate as he has rarely been sick since he was born and we never really needed it.  With Avery though I couldn't listen to him struggle to get a breath any longer and decided that I needed to give it a shot.  I can say that yes-it does work great, but I also have to will myself not to throw up while I use it.  Despite the fact that the design prevents any of the nastiness from making its way into my mouth, the notion of what I am actually doing accompanied by the disgusting sound almost makes me loose it.  Avery doesn't like it a lot either and tries to push it away when I use it, but once he is snot free he always looks at me and gives me a big smile as if to say, "Thanks Mom!," making it all worth it.  Eric, however, said that it is a good thing for moms, because if it wasn't for me, he would use the ShopVac! :)

Poor little sickie enjoying a cozy nap in Mommy & Daddy's bed.

When the weekend arrived, our life got a bit more exciting.  One of my friends had a girls night at her home since her husband was out of town, so Avery and I headed over there (there were a total of 5 women there of which three had babies in tow, and a fourth is pregnant) while Eric and Asher enjoyed a boys night out together.  I was able to have a nice evening catching up with friends over a warm chili dinner, while my (bigger) boys enjoyed a Fazoli's dinner and a trip to Menards (where else?).

2/3 of my <3  ...love these boys!

Cheese!!

The next day, our fun continued with our nephew Hudson's 1st Birthday party.  After a lazy morning at home and quick naps, we headed to Crystal Lake to celebrate with the family!

Video: Avery's Bath Time...He loves it, as long as you keep him nice and warm!

Video: Happy Baby After Bath Time

Avery and I with Grandma & Papa K

Caleb, Eric, Asher & Eliza

Avery taking a nap after partying too hard!

The "adults" and the birthday boy

Eric and our boys

Avery & Asher with Grandma & Papa K

The Birthday Boy with his red plane cake.

"Happy Birthday to Hudson!"

Trying out his cake.

The Aftermath!...the red frosting was a bit concerning as he looked a bit horrific when he was finished.

Micah, Hudson & Caleb check out Hudson's presents

Hudson trying out his new car.  His older brothers could barely contain themselves as they waited for their turn to "drive" it.

Asher finally got his turn to take it for a spin.

Avery & Uncle Aaron

After dinner, cake, ice cream and presents, it was time to head home.  Asher was not really happy that it was all over though as he had such a good time and begged Eric and I for more cake or cookies (he was willing to negotiate) the whole way home!

On Sunday we were back to our life of minimal excitement, enjoying another day mostly at home and rounding out another great week as a family.

Eric & Asher playing the drums after church

Eric took this for Uncle "Baby" Robby...entitled "Baby's 1st Rat Tail!"...1st and only I hope!  ;)